Taking the Fight Out of the Girl
by RedIvyRaven
Summary: Raven no longer has the passion for fighting crime. So she leaves the Titans. Returning years later, her friends are no longer the people she remembers, of course she has changed as well.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just enjoy using them.

Taking the Fight Out of the Girl

Things were exactly the same, yet completely different. She didn't have the same drive she used to. There was a time when, in battle, the rest of the team would partner up. Having an odd number of members meant that one person was left by themselves. It was always her, and she was fine with that. She didn't need the help anyway, but now things just weren't the same.

She would come home with extra bruises, extra cuts, and more pain than she was used to. As far as she could tell there was nothing different in her technique, and it didn't seem like the people she fought were anymore skilled. She kept her battle scars to herself, hiding the superficial ones under her long cloak until she was able to heal them. But it seemed as though the scars were not healing as they should have been. There was only one reason that she could think of as to why she wasn't fighting or healing herself as well as she used to. Her heart was no longer in it.

It wasn't as if she didn't want to help people any longer, but not like this. The daily routine was getting to be too confining for this bird. She had to be involved with something mind, body, and soul, or she couldn't perform properly. With much thought she had decided to gather her teammates, show them her battle scars, and explain to them why she was no longer going to be fighting by their side.

> > > > > > > >

>AN: Just a small prologue to see if there's any interest in this story before I continue on. I have the first chapter almost complete, but I'd rather see what everyone thinks before I press on. Comments and criticisms are requested and appreciated. Thank you.


	2. Leaving

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just enjoy using them.

Taking the Fight Out of the Girl

It had been almost six years since she left. She had made quite the life for herself. Getting a job at a local clinic where she was able to really helped people. There was a different gratification in it and it made her happy. She was able to help children, seniors, single mothers, men trying to make a living, everyone who needed it. Of course, her powers came in handy, but she avoided any obvious gestures.

Besides, she was using her powers elsewhere when needed. There were always petty crimes in the city which Raven dealt with. It was never anything more than robbers but she did her part. Of course, she couldn't compare to the New Teen Titans.

The team had expanded quite a bit since she left. Several watch towers in some of the biggest cities, new team members, liaisons with the Justice League; they were quite the tour de force. It was rather hard for the public at large to keep up with the new Titans. A team compiled of teenagers, meant emotions ran high and things tended to get a little hectic. Members joining, and then leaving soon after, inter team dating, which led to fights. Raven wouldn't have wanted to manage those kids, but it seemed as though her old team mates were doing a good job.

She had kept track of their movements over the years. Beast Boy mans the original Titans Tower, and she was pretty sure he trained the newest members, which made the most sense. He always did get along well with children. Starfire seemed to be at the Justice League watch tower most of the time. They used her as a translator, which, considering how Starfire learns languages, was probably not the best job to have. But it was the only way the Titans could get any information from the Justice League.

It was apparent that the Justice League didn't want to involve children in any of the international goings on. Raven completely understood their reservations, but she also felt that they didn't really give the Titans a chance. When they did though, the Titans shined. Cyborg didn't get offered to be the main mechanic for the League if they didn't see his talent. He, of course, declined the offer, saying that the Titans needed him more than the League did, but that he would help them out whenever necessary. Raven was so proud when she heard the news. She was going to call Cyborg and congratulate him, but she hadn't called them at all over the years. It'd be too weird to call him now. After the way she left, she wasn't sure if anyone wanted to talk to her anymore. And she really couldn't blame them.

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6 years earlier

With much thought she had decided to gather her teammates, show them her battle scars,

and explain to them why she was no longer going to be fighting by their side. The Titans were all still in the main living area. Eating and talking about the fight, when Raven came into the room. She stood there and watched them for a while. Beast Boy was doing his usual post fight replay. Telling everyone his favorite moves and talking about how much fun it is to kick bad guy butt.

Robin spotted her first. He smiled and she turned away. It was too hard. Maybe it would be easier to just sneak out in the middle of the night. Leave a note. Before she had a chance to leave her room completely, Cyborg called her.

"Come on Rae! I made waffles! I know that you love my waffles!"

Odd as it may seem, Raven really did love his waffles, but she loved him more. As far as she was concerned, Cyborg was her big brother and she was his little sister. When he had first put this idea out there, she was shocked. Raven never had the best of luck with family, and especially not males. But there was always something about Cyborg. She always felt protected around him, and protective of him. She thought that she would miss that relationship the most. It was the one that ran the deepest and was the most important thing she had acquired in her time with the Titans. So, she walked over to the kitchen and put some waffles on a plate. She deserved a good last meal.

It was as she was cutting into her second waffle when he noticed it.

"Raven, your arm!"

She wasn't surprised that Robin noticed it first, but she was a little surprised by the tone of his voice. She intentionally chose not to change anything but her cloak, just to further her point, but she had hoped to save this part of the conversation to when she was ready. And now, while she was eating, was not the time.

"Robin, can I finish my waffles?"

The other Titans had closed in on the kitchen table to see what Robin was talking about. None of them looked very pleased.

"Friend Raven, why did you not heal yourself when we returned home? Is there something the matter with your powers? Wouldn't you like medial attention?"

She thought that she would have control over this conversation, but it looked like things had taken a different turn. She would have to think quickly.

"Um…guys. There's something I need to tell you", not liking the fact that she was sitting at the table while everyone else was standing around her, she stood up and moved for the couch, "Sit, please."

Raven doesn't really remember what she told them. The words just seemed to manifest themselves in her mouth. The only thing she clearly remembers saying was, "I can't do this anymore. I need something different, something better." Raven didn't know why she said it. She knew that she had an amazing deal with the Titans. She had friends, companions, family. She saw the hurt look on their faces and tried to back pedal.

"Wait, that's not what I meant. I just think…" Robin cut her off.

"No need to explain Raven. If you need some time off to recuperate, then you can take it. As much time as you need." The other Titans nodded their heads. They thought they were being understanding, but she needed them to really understand.

"No, I don't need time off. I'm leaving the Titans, effective immediately. I'm sorry."

There was a long silence, while the team members looked at one another, as if she had just told a joke that no one was getting. Beast Boy was the first to speak.

"Come on Rae, don't you think you're overreacting a little. We all get beat up sometimes. You just need to roll with the punches…haha." The last thing anyone needed was Beast Boys brand of humor.

"I don't think she's kidding Beast Boy." Robin had stood up and began to pace behind the couch. She already knew what he was thinking. She was still linked to him, and as much as it hurt. The look on Cyborg's face, hurt her twice as much.

"Rae, isn't there anything that we can do. I mean, you can't just leave. Who will help me work on my car?" She smiled and her eyes began to tear up.

"I wouldn't call what I do helping. I just hand you tools. I'm sure you can find someone else. And this isn't a problem that someone can help me with. I need to do it by myself."

Cyborg nodded his head, as though he really understood what she had to do. And she couldn't be more grateful that he had. Even Starfire and Beast Boy seemed to understand, it was the Boy Wonder who seemed to be stalemating.

"You know, the last time you said that, the world was nearly destroyed."

Raven didn't expect that sort of remark from Robin, and it seemed like the rest of the team didn't either. They all objected simultaneously,

"Robin…"

"Dude!"

"Take it back Robin."

Of course, Cyborg came to her defense, but it was time for her to stand up for herself.

"No Cyborg, he's right. But Robin, you more than anyone, should understand that I know now to ask for help when I truly need it. Now isn't one of those times. This work has burnt me out. I can't run every time an alarm goes off anymore. It's endless and thankless. My heart just isn't in it anymore, and it's not going to be until I take some time away from crime fighting. If you can't understand that, then there's nothing I can do. But regardless I am leaving."

She turned to her other team members.

"Thanks for everything."

Then disappeared into a black circle she created in the floor. Seconds later she was in her bedroom. Packing up the very few precious things she had. Her mirror, some clothes that she would be able to wear in public, her favorite books, and a journal that contained a picture of her and her team mates. Seconds later there was a knock at the door. She was silent, hoping she would be able to make them believe that she had already left.

"My scanners say you're in there Rae. So are you going to let me in, or what?"

There was a lightness in his voice. She knew he wasn't going to try and stop her, but she was afraid that he would unintentionally do so. Still, she used her magic to open the door and close it behind him when he walked in. She was sitting on her bed, he came and sat next to her.

"You know he didn't mean it Rae. He's just upset that you're leaving and he knows there's nothing he can do about it."

"That still doesn't give him the right to be a jerk."

"No, no it doesn't, but it's something he's just so good at."

He smiled at her, she smiled back and they both laughed.

"I'm going to miss you Rae. You know that right?"

"Yeah, I'll miss you too. My first real family and I have to leave."

"You know, you can find your calling and still keep in touch with us. It is what phones are for and you'd have to be out of your mind to think that you're leaving your communicator here."

She looked to her table where she had put all her communication and alarm devices. He knew her extremely too well.

"I can't have the alarms going off everyday. I'll keep coming and helping you guys out of habit."

At this point he got up and grabbed her communicator.

"No, I can fix this so it's just outgoing. You can talk to us, but we can't talk to you. Raven, please, just take it. I want to know that you're ok. You don't have to tell me everything, just call once a day to check in, so I know you're still alive."

"Once a day?"

"Ok, once a week. Please Raven."

She stood up and took the communicator from his hands.

"You know I can take care of myself right?"

He pulled her into a hug. She wasn't expecting it, but she enjoyed the feeling.

"Just because you can take care of yourself, doesn't mean I'm going to stop worrying about you, lil' sis."

It was the nicknames they only used between one another. Lil' sis and big bro. Raven detested it at first, but soon grew to enjoy what it represented and found herself calling Cyborg big bro more and more when they were alone together. She had to give in.

"How long will it take you to adjust it?"

He pulled away and smiled at her.

"I'll have it ready for you by morning."

"That long?"

"Well, I guess I just think you should stay one more night. I'll see you in the morning."

With that he sprinted out of the room, knowing that he had just conned his "lil' sis" into staying an extra night. She also knew that he was telling the rest of the team to go and say their goodbyes. Raven expected Starfire to come first, followed by Beast Boy and, if he came at all, Robin would bring up the rear. She really did want to talk to him. There was so much there that needed to be said. That he needed to understand about her. She wasn't leaving the team, just to leave the team, she was doing it to improve herself. Everyone needed to be selfish once in their life and this was her time.

There was a knock at the door and, as expected, Starfire popped in.

"Oh, friend Raven, must you leave us?"

"Yeah, Starfire, it's just my time to go."

"Would it be possible, if we could participate in the meditation one last time?"

Truth be told Raven much preferred meditating by herself. It was supposed to be a personal thing, so she suggested something a little more Starfires speed.

"How about we do something you like. Maybe we could paint our nails or do our hair or something."

Starfires eyes lit up.

"Oh Raven that would be most wonderful! Let us go up to my bed room and retrieve the brushes of hair and the paint of nails!"

And so they did. They were in Star's room for a good hour. Starfire doing most of the painting and brushing, seeing as though it wasn't Ravens area of expertise. Starfire hugged Raven and told her that she would miss her. Raven said the same and when back to her room.

Raven had just used her magic to remove all the curls and product from her hair when there was another knock at the door. She opened it for Beast Boy.

"You know Rae, I'm really going to miss you. I mean, we were just getting to be friends. Weren't we?"

She had to smile. If Cyborg was her big brother, then Beast Boy was her little one. And, come to think of it, Starfire was like a little sister. This was going to be so much harder than she had planned. She hoped she would be able to end this quickly. Tell them, leave, and be done with it. But drawing it out like this was just hurting everyone more than she cared to know.

"Yeah, we were."

"You sure there's nothing we can do. I'll stop telling jokes and playing video games so loudly if it'll help you Raven. I really don't want you to leave."

"You have nothing to do with this Beast Boy. I'm actually going to miss some of your jokes. Maybe even miss you're intense video game competitions."

"Really? How about a joke for the road then? Why was 6 afraid of 7?"

She was pretty sure that he told her this joke before, but it couldn't hurt to appease him, this one last time.

"I don't know, Beast Boy. Why was 6 afraid of 7?"

"Because 7 ate 9!"

He started laughing uncontrollably, which made Raven smile.

"That was a pretty good one."

She wanted a serious moment with him. She knew that he was capable of it. They had all seen that with Terra.

"Beast Boy, I just want to say thank you for always trying with me. I mean, even though I acted as though I didn't like your jokes or you, you never shied away from me. You always tried to make me laugh. And sometimes that was enough. So, thank you."

Once again she found herself in a hug. Hugs were always awkward between the two. Raven thought it was because she was so stunted when it came to emotional things and because, and crazy as he was, Beast Boy was shy around girls. But this one was different. There wasn't any weird feelings, just friendship. She was really leaving these people. The only ones who ever cared about her. Could she still do it.

Then there was another knock on the door and Robin walked in. He was a little taken aback to see Raven and Beast Boy hugging.

"Oh, I didn't realize, I'll just talk to you later."

They pulled away from one another and Beast Boy told Robin that he was just leaving. He took one more look at Raven, smiled, gave her a thumbs up, and left the room. She smiled and then quickly started frowning when her eyes fell back on Robin. They way he was standing it seemed as though he was about to propose a business deal to her.

"Came to lecture me?"

"No, I came to apologize. I shouldn't have said what I did out there. I'm sorry."

She nodded and motioned for him to sit down on the bed with her. But he chose to sit on her desk chair. She accepted his apology and there was a long, tense silence between the two. They both avoided the others eyes, but they finally made contact and she was forced to speak.

"You know I can never thank you enough for what you've done for me. Not just with Trigon, but everything else. Making me apart of this team and every thing that came with that. You turned me into a hero Robin. I don't know what would have happened if not for you."

"Then why are you leaving? Why can't you stay? You could just take the time off, like I suggested. Or, let me call Batman, you can stay with him or maybe at one of the Justice League bases. I'm sure…"

She shook her head, got off the bed, and started pacing the floor.

"Robin, you don't understand. I'd still be too close to all of this. Besides, you've done too much for me already. That would be too much. I need to be on my own for a while."

He got up from his chair and started walking towards the door. Hand on doorknob he asked:

"How long is a while?"

"As long as it takes"

He nodded his head and walked out the door. She didn't know why he didn't understand. It wasn't as if she was leaving him, she was finding her self. He was taking it too personally. She wanted to follow him, to explain to him in detail. But he had a mental block to the whole situation. Nothing she said could change his mind, just as nothing could be said to change hers. And it was at that moment she decided she had to leave. There was no time to wait for radios, no time for more long good byes in the morning, and no time for someone to make her stay. She had to leave. And so, after writing a brief note, she did. It wasn't until the next morning when Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy brought her breakfast in bed, did they realize that she had left. Nothing but a crisp piece of parchment on her bed that said:

_I'm sorry, I'll miss you all. _

_Raven._

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Present day

As much as she was ready to meet up with her friends again, she didn't expect to do so anytime soon. Although sometimes, the best laid plans don't always go smoothly. When a psychopath comes to town and the hero meant to catch him follows, you run into one another. Especially when said psychopath happens to enjoy preying on young women.

AN:

Ok, sorry it took so very long for this to come out, but moving sucks, and moving to a place with no internet access sucks extra. But we are connected now, and to make up, I've combined two chapters here. It didn't turn out quite as I had wanted and I was never able to write Starfire and Raven's little thing (believe me I tried about a thousand times) so that's why I sort of excused that scene away. I really wanted to make a strong brother sister relationship between Raven and Cyborg. I hope I didn't overdo it, I was trying to get it out there, because it becomes much more important later. Yeah, not much Robin and I didn't explain what he was doing in the present day for a reason. It's all up here (points to head) folks. There's a reason for just about everything that doesn't make sense in this story…most of it has to do with me not being the best writer, but still...

In the next chapter I'm going to change the writing style. Instead of using the third person (she, he, they, ect. I'm pretty sure it's called third person, but not 100 positive. Please correct me if I'm wrong) I'm switching over to a first person kind of deal. I just couldn't get the past tense stuff to work as well as I had wanted in the first person. So, I hope that will make things easier for me and you in the future. So, thanks for reading, waiting and hopefully leaving reviews!


	3. Reveal

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just enjoy using them.

(Just to be clear Robin is actually Nightwing in the present, but Raven will refer to him as Robin because it's what she (and I'm) used to.)

Taking the Fight Out of the Girl

She had the habit of staying at the clinic long after her shift was over. A usual day was 16 hours long, and she didn't mind one bit. She was touching lives in ways she never thought possible. She had her own identity; she wasn't just part of a team, fighting evil. She was a person, helping the innocent, it was different. Samantha Jenson, her alias, was well liked and respected for her tireless efforts at the clinic.

At first, some of the seasoned nurses told her that she wouldn't last. She was young and there was so much hard work. But she proved them all wrong. She was usually the first person there in the morning and the last to leave at night. She was driven to help, to prove herself. Maybe, she also liked the attention. For once in her life she wasn't the person in the background. She had stepped out of the shadow of her teammates and into the light. Nurse Sam, favorite nurse at Bludhaven City Clinic.

That day was a particularly good day. Traffic at the clinic was light, and those that did come in weren't in terrible condition. No emergencies and no need to use her powers. It was those days she liked the best. The days she was able to help everyone that came in there with her own hands and her brain, not with her powers. It was the most gratifying thing in her life. When she left that night, at 12:30 am, she felt as though nothing could bring her down.

She was about half way home when she noticed it. There was someone following her. From what she could tell, he was about 10 feet behind her. She didn't live in the best part of town, but it certainly wasn't the worst. The most she ever had to deal with were muggers and some rapist looking for easy prey. This guy didn't seem like either. Surely, if he was one of the two he would have caught up to her and dragged her into one of the many dark alleys they were passing. This guy wanted something more. He wanted to follow her home.

She decided on her plan of attack. She would turn down the next street, phase into the wall, wait until he passes, and then attack. But, as she knew, the best laid plans…

He rushed her about 15 feet before she reached the end of the street. He grabbed her hand, twisted it behind her back, and then held a knife to her throat. She was about to retaliate when he started yelling.

"Let me be or I'll cut her throat! I swear I'll do it!" He was looking into the air, as though someone was watching him and Raven thought she had a new problem on her hands. It was highly possible that he was mentally unstable, and she had to be timid in her actions.

"Who are you talking to?" She tried to stay as clam as possible when she asked the question.

"None of your damn business! You're just bait sweetie," at this point he raised his voice, "And if he doesn't leave me alone, you're going to get it!"

It was at that point she felt another presence. It must have been the person he was talking to. Now things were going to get difficult. She doubted that the person chasing him was someone on the wrong side of the law, or it wouldn't have mattered if she was killed or not. The police usually aren't so covert, so it must have been a Super.

"Fine! You asked for it!" Right as he said "fine", she encased the blade of the knife with black energy. He was too busy looking at the rooftops to have noticed. Right after he "sliced" her throat, she went limp.

"NO!" Before she knew it she heard metal hitting metal. She was on the ground, playing dead until the right moment, but it never came. She heard the man running off and she felt another lifting her up. She opened her eyes and saw someone from her past.

* * *

Robin had changed the most. The new name was just the beginning of it. Nightwing was quite the terror. He had abandoned the Teen Titans soon after they expanded and joined up with the League. It was rumored that he left because of an ill-fated affair with Starfire. Raven didn't really care about all the rumors flying around. She knew his real reasons for leaving.

He had outgrown the team, just as she had. That's why he changed his identity as well. Nightwing and Sam Jenson were cut from the same cloth. Two people who progressed beyond the confines of the Teen Titans. Robin was always the leader, but the winds had changed and he no longer ruled absolute. There was much influence from the Justice League and too many big heads. Raven had assumed that it was too annoying for Robin, and that's why he left.

Nightwing was a practical choice. Robin tried going out on his own, but he was too closely tied with Batman and the Titans. So, he came up with a new persona. Few people knew that Nightwing and Robin were the same, but you could tell if you knew what to look for. Raven was watching the news when she heard the buzz about a new hero. She saw some of the work he was doing in Gotham, and knew that it was Robin. Fighting style and technique were the same. Even the weapons were the same, just different color choices. She was glad that he had moved on. And she was glad that she had the chance to run into him tonight.

* * *

Nightwing looked down at the girl. There were no visible wounds on her, but he had seen Malcolm run the blade across her neck. It made no sense. After a few seconds of silence she shook her head.

"I'm fine, I'll explain later. Just, go get him!"

Robin nodded and ran off down the street. It was a close call. Frankly, she didn't want to explain it to him. She was just glad that the image spell held out through the attack. Had it failed, well, she didn't want to think what would have happened. It was a spell she had been working on since before she left the Titans. It went trough some trial and error, like when her hair was a different color everyday of the week. But she had finally fixed it. She had olive skin, black hair and steel blue eyes. It was the look she felt most comfortable with, and it helped her to feel like a normal person, which is all she really wanted these days. So, for that reason, she picked herself up off the sidewalk, and went home.

She was microwaving some leftovers when she heard someone outside her window. She decided to ignore the noise; it was the best way to get the upper hand. That's when she noticed it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the small flashing light on her jacket. He put a tracker on her. Raven slightly panicked, thinking that maybe, somehow, he discovered who she was. Maybe he was going to confront her after all these years. But, it was more likely that he just wanted to know how she dodged that knife to the throat. She continued on with her business, knowing that he was waiting for her to notice him. Apparently she was wrong, because before she knew it he was in her apartment, giving her the third degree.

"You seem pretty calm for a woman who almost got her throat cut."

She was able to disguise her voice pretty well. It was a little higher and much more feminine. She just hoped that she wouldn't slip into her old voice while they were talking.

"It's a tough city. I've been mugged a few times, you get used to it."

She was still refusing to make eye contact, but she could feel his eyes on her. As if he knew there was something that she wasn't telling him.

"No one gets used to a knife being held to their throat. And people rarely live when the knife is used."

For the first time since he entered her apartment, she looked him in the eyes.

"I guess I got lucky."

She knew he wasn't going to like that answer, and it would probably bring about more questions, but she didn't know what else to say. She really was never the best liar.

"No one is that lucky. If you know Malcom, and this was all some kind of set up, I'll have to take you in too."

She needed to stay calm above all else, she wasn't going to let him get to her.

"I don't know him, and this wasn't a set up. It seems obvious that he was trying to bother you, and buy himself some time. He used me to get away from you. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to eat my dinner in peace. So, please, show yourself out."

Raven sat down at her table but, instead of leaving, Robin came closer to her.

"You're hiding something and I want to know what it is."

She looked down at her food, refusing to look at him, she didn't want to give him any reason to accuse her, but she sure wasn't giving him any reason not to. So, she was going to try something totally drastic.

She stood up from the table, looked him right in the eyes, and began to cry.

"Look, I didn't ask to be attacked tonight! First that psycho and now you! Don't you superheroes have anything better to do than bugging us citizens? I'm sure there are other crimes going on than me NOT dying. So, if you don't mind, I'd really like to be left alone!"

She hoped beyond hope that her acting was good enough to fool him. The old Robin used to crumble at the sight of a woman crying, but she wasn't so sure that this new Robin, this Nightwing, would do the same.

"I'm not attacking you! I'm trying to help you. I'm trying to find out what happened tonight! But, maybe we can do this another time, when you're not so upset."

"Thank you Robin."

He was heading for the window when she said it. Neither of them really noticed that she had slipped, until he noticed his reflection in the window. He wasn't Robin anymore, and no one was supposed to know that he ever was.

It was when he turned around and that she realized that she had slipped. She tried to keep her face composed, hoping she could fool him into thinking he was hearing things. But to no avail…

"What did you call me?"

She wasn't ready to be discovered, especially not like this. She wanted to come out on her own, not be outted by Robin, because of a stupid slip of the tongue.

"I don't know. I can't keep you superheroes straight. I just picked the first name that came to mind."

She could tell by his face that he wasn't buying it. Hell, she wasn't even buying it.

"Look, I don't really have the time to play these games. You either tell me who you are, or I'll have to find out for myself." He had taken out his birdarang and got into a fighting stance. Raven knew that it was too late at this point. She was going to have to give in.

"Okay, put your weapon away and let me explain"

"Not a chance. I'm not putting this away until I know who you are."

"Robin!"

She said it with a certain forcefulness she hadn't used since she was with the Titans. She was commanding him and she did it in a voice that he recognized. His position relaxed and the weapons were put away. He was completely dumbstruck.

"Raven?" He squinted at her.

"Yeah, it's me."

"You…you've changed."

He looked her up and down, and she did the same to him.

"So have you, no more boy wonder?"

"Hey, I may have changed my costume, but you've changed everything else."

She had almost forgotten that her identity shield was still up.

"Oh, this is just a spell", she chanted the counter spell and was back to the Raven that he knew, "this better?"

"No...I mean, yes…no I mean…Raven, where have you been? What happened to you? Do you know how hard we tried to find you? We didn't know if you were alive or dead! All these years and you've been playing dress up?"

"Wait a minute! You don't know anything about who I am now, Robin! And the only reason I 'play dress up', as you so nicely put it, is because my normal appearance is usually cause for alarm."

They were both standing in the middle of the room. Neither of them talked for a while, both too stubborn and angry to admit that they were more frustrated than they needed to be. He broke the silence first, with the one question she hoped he wouldn't ask.

"Why Raven? Why did you leave like that?"

Her face softened. She hadn't really thought about that night for a while, and Robin being here made the emotions came back to her. She was raw again, and she hated that feeling.

"It was all too much Robin. Everyone was more upset then I thought they would be about me leaving. I just wanted to make sure it didn't hurt so much. So I left."

"You didn't think us walking into that empty room in the morning wouldn't hurt? Did you think we would all just shrug our shoulders and say, 'oh well, I guess she left. Let's go fight crime now."

She sat down on her couch. Of course she hadn't thought that, but did he think that it was the easiest thing for her to do? Leaving was something that needed to be done. She needed to do it or she would have slowly deteriorated into nothing. After all these years, he still didn't understand her, and it killed her to know that.

"Robin, I left because I didn't want any of us to have to deal with the inevitable good-bye scene. I didn't want any of us to deal with the awkwardness or the emotion."

"We all would have dealt with it, for you Raven. You were our teammate, part of our family. We would have went through anything."

"It was for me Robin! I couldn't stand thinking about saying good-bye to all of you. I knew that I would have ended up staying if I spent one more minute with any of you. And I knew that if I stayed, it would have killed me. So, I left. I took the easy way out, but I needed to do it. I needed to get the balance back in my life."

She got up and walked over to the wall opposite the window. It was covered with pictures and cards. The people she had helped showed their gratitude in ways Raven never experienced before. Pictures of her drawn by 4 year olds, thank you cards from parents, greeting cards for every holiday from all her regular patients.

"This is what I do now. I help these people when they're injured or ill. Sometimes I'm their only life line. Robin, a three year old girl would have died, had I not been working here. When she recovered, she hugged me and thanked me for saving her life. Her mother called me an angel! That never would have happened if I stayed with the Titans. So maybe I have been playing dress up, maybe you've been going crazy looking for me, but does it really matter? So I took the easy way out, so what? They helped me recover myself. My powers have never been stronger. I could never get my image spell right when I was with the Titans. I can heal better too. It's amazing Robin, and it's all because I left that night."

She watched him and he scanned her wall. She knew that she had at least gotten his sympathy. But it wouldn't go far when he brought up the lack of contact. Which he was about to do.

"This is a really nice collection Raven, but it doesn't tell me why you never called. Or even dropped a note to say that you _were_ alive."

"As if I could just write a letter to you guys! You and I both know that you or Cyborg would have dissected that letter until you knew exactly where it came from!"

He turned to her.

"We would not…We would have dissected the envelope."

For the first time that night, they laughed. Raven felt like a kid again. Being with Robin, laughing like this…she missed it. And in that instant she wanted to see them all again, right away.

"Is there any place where you original team members get together? Somewhere where you can just talk?"

He smirked, knowing what she wanted to do.

"We keep the original tower for orientation purposes only and there haven't been any new recruits in a while. Should I tell them why we're getting together?"

Raven smirked, casted her image spell, and started walking towards the window.

"Just tell them that you found an amazing new recruit."

He followed her towards the window.

"Amazing, huh?"

"I told you, my powers have improved."

And to further prove her point she cast a spell to put him back in his Robin outfit.

"Make your call Boy Wonder."

AN: So, next chapter. Raven is reintroduced to the rest of the Titans. How will they react? Only time will tell! So tune in next chapter, same bat-time, same bat-channel!

Seriously though, I tried to keep this as genuine as possible, emotion-wise. It may have come off a little cheesy-ish, but I didn't want to do anymore re-writes and delay the story even more. And as far as the criminal in this story, well he wasn't as psychopathic as I had originally intended, but it wasn't really essential to the story so I cut most of it out and made him sort of your average jack of a trades kind of criminal. Comments are much appreciated. Thanks.


	4. Surprise

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, please don't sue me.

AN: All the original team members call Robin, Robin. It's what they're used to and Robin has given up trying to fight it. They do, however, call him Nightwing when there are others around.

Taking the Fight Out of the Girl

Raven was pacing. The rest of the team was supposed to arrive in the next 10 minutes and now she wasn't so sure she could go through with this. It would have been one thing if Robin had told them he had a surprise, but this whole scheme was beginning to make her nervous.

"Robin, I don't know if I can do this."

He had changed back into his Nightwing costume and was setting up the room. She knew that he was going to tell her that it was her idea to begin with and that it was too late to back out, but she could just leave. He really couldn't stop her.

"Look, Raven, it'll be fine. Trust me, they could all use a good laugh and I think this will loosen them up. We make them think you're a new recruit. You show them what you can do, they'll recognize your powers, we'll come clean, and everyone will laugh! It'll be great."

Even though he seemed so enthusiastic she still wasn't sure. Maybe they would be angry that they were tricked. Maybe they would be so mad at her that they would just leave. Maybe she was over thinking this whole thing.

That's when she heard them.

"Ok Raven, go into the hall and wait till I come and get you. Just like we planned okay?"

She nodded her head and walked over to her hiding place. She still wasn't sure about the whole thing. She could just phase through the wall, but then Robin would be stuck there. Plus he knew where she lived so it would be harder to hide from him. She heard them all say their hellos.

"Hey Star, long time no see. How's the League treating you?"

"Oh very well friend Cyborg. You should accept their offer and then we could spend much time together in the common rooms!"

"Sorry Star, I'm happy where I am. Hey B.B., what have you been doing lately?"

"Well, since there haven't been any newbie's in a while I've been brushing up on my game. You wanna play something after Robin tells us about this new kid?"

"Maybe, where is Rob anyway?"

Robin came out from the hallway, greeted everyone and asked them to sit down.

"Now, you all know why you're here, even though I'm no longer the team leader, I know talent when I see it. This new recruit is amazing. I'm sure that she'll be able to impress all of you as she has me."

"She, huh? Exactly how old is this girl," they all glared daggers at Beast Boy, "I need to know for training purposes, you know?"

Raven could practically hear the other team members roll their eyes at Beast Boy's comments. It was good to hear all of their voices again. They all matured in some way, yet they were all the same. She wanted to just come around the corner, sit on the couch, and listen to Robin brief them about their next meeting. She wanted to be 18 again. Be apart of this team again. She wanted the six years away from them to disappear so it would be as though nothing had happened. Of course, she knew this couldn't happen. And she knew that she couldn't make things go back to the way they were. She had her own responsibilities, like being at the clinic in 4 hours. Going back now was impossible and she would just have to deal with that.

"Yeah right, training. Anyway, I caught her in the act today. This guy had a knife up to this girl's throat and she took him down. It was impressive. She's mostly been working little jobs on the street. She didn't want exposure, but I told her we could fix her up with a persona and it wouldn't affect her life too much."

"Rob, why would you make a promise like that? You know this is a hard job. Keeping up a normal life is pretty difficult."

"I know, but Cyborg, I promise you, once she gets into it, she'll never want to leave. She'll be your newest and brightest full timer!"

"Robin, I must agree with friend Cyborg on this matter. It does not seem right lying to a young girl about her duties with the Titans. The truth is always best."

"Fine, we'll tell her the truth. Let me get her."

Robin started to walk over to the hallway when he was stopped by Cyborg.

"You mean she's here", at this point he started to whisper, "we've been calling you Robin this whole time!"

"It's alright Cyborg, she already knows about me. It's another reason why I thought you should meet her. Hang on while I get her."

Robin walked towards the hallway and whispered to Raven.

"Are you ready?"

She double-checked that her image spell was still on and nodded her head.

"Great, let's go."

Robin walked her out in front of the rest of the team. She kept her head down. She didn't really want to look at them. She was scared. Robin had told her that she should come up with a costume and now she was wishing it was something that had more coverage. Of course her first idea was much to close to her old costume so Robin told her to change it to something "completely different". So now she was standing in front of her old friends in a purple midriff halter top with matching shorts. She felt like an idiot.

They weren't exactly welcoming her with open arms. It looked like they were all judging her in their own ways. Beast Boy was eyeing her in a way that made her terribly uncomfortable. So much so, that she shifted her weight to her other leg, in order to lean closer to Robin.

"Hi, I'm Beast Boy, what's your name."

It didn't surprise her that he was the first to speak. He wasn't exactly the most judgmental member.

"Her name is Cannon and she has some pretty amazing powers. Would you guys like a demonstration?"

Cannon? They didn't discuss that one earlier. Just another thing to add to the list of humiliation that was this night. Raven was seriously having reservations about this and she just wanted to run away from it all. The way they were staring at her was almost making her sick. And the fact that Robin was so indifferent about it and so sure that it was an amazing plan made her even more upset.

"Um, Nightwing, I need to talk to you. In private. Right now, please."

Raven walked back into the hallway and Robin followed, excusing the both of them and telling the rest of the team to sit tight. When they were far enough down the hall so the rest of the team wouldn't hear them, Raven began panicking.

"Robin, this isn't going to work. They're going to be mad at me I know they are."

"Raven, it's just a little prank. Actually, it's more of a surprise. They'll be fine, trust me."

"It just seems almost mean to do it this way. You know, they're going to be mad."

"Honestly Raven, I think they'll be more excited to see you, than angry that we played a little trick on them. Let's just go through the rest of it as planned, and if they get really angry, I'll take all the blame. Okay?"

Raven nodded her head, still not believing that this was a good idea, but not wanting to upset Robin. So they walked back into the room, to those scrutinizing faces.

"Sorry guys, Cannon just got a little bit of stage fright. But I'm pretty sure she's ready now, so let's begin."

The set-up was simple, Robin was going to list off her abilities and after a few simple things he was going to say shape-shifting and she was going to drop her image spell. She was almost hoping that they wouldn't believe that it was her. But, it was now or never, and she would soon get her reaction.

"Ok, we'll start with something simple Cannon. How about flight?"

Raven did a few laps around the room and landed where she started.

"Very good, thank you. Now, we'll move onto some offensive moves. You're telekinetic right? Please give us an example."

She was able to lift Beast Boy off the couch without the black energy that would have given her away in a second. But the team didn't really seem impressed by any of this so Robin asked Beast Boy to attempt to change form.

"Dude! I can't change! My powers aren't working at all!"

Raven put him back on the couch and Beast Boy went through a few animal species, just to make sure his powers were back. Robin made eye contact with Raven and slightly nodded his head. This meant that he was going to request the shape shift. She nodded back, knowing that she wasn't ready, but know that it had to be done.

"She's pretty great right? She can even shape-shift. How about it Cannon, show us what you can do."

Raven took and deep breath, closed her eyes and dropped her image spell. She waited a second before opening her eyes again. And when she did, she saw what she was afraid of. Pain, on all of their faces, as if someone had came by and punched all of them. They intimidated her so much that she almost wanted to put her shield up, until Cyborg spoke up.

"Is this supposed to be some sort of joke? Does she think that doing this is going to get her in?"

"I think it's an incredible likeness, don't you? I mean, she's so good. Don't you think she'd look exactly like this now?"

They were all taken aback at Robin's attitude. And Raven understood why. For all they knew she was dead, and Robin was praising someone for pretending to be her. It was hurtful and she wanted to tell them, but her words were sticking in her throat.

"How dare you! Did you put her up to this? Was this supposed to impress us Nightwing? Cause all it's doing is pissing me off! Maybe next she should shift into Terra, or better yet, let's throw her in a Robin costume, so we can have our leader back!"

"It's really me."

Raven hadn't even realized she said it out loud until every one turned towards her. She looked at Robin, who was standing next to her. He smiled and put his arm across her shoulders.

"Surprise!"

Raven couldn't believe he said that. She rolled her eyes hoping that Cyborg didn't use his cannon on the both of them.

"Friend Raven, is it really you?"

She nodded her head.

"Rae, we thought…dude. Where have you been?"

She looked up at Robin, still unable to really use her voice with them.

"Well, I found her when a guy I was tracking down slit her throat. I obviously found it strange when there wasn't a drop of blood at all and then realized it was her."

"You didn't realize anything, I told you. You thought I was affiliated with the guy."

"Hey, I refused to leave your apartment until you told me!"

"You were halfway out the window and wouldn't have turned around if I hadn't slipped."

"That was a ruse."

"I'm sure."

They were talking as if it was old times. But still, she was only talking to Robin. She turned away from him and back towards her teammates, only to realize that Cyborg was walking out of the common room. Robin was about to go after him, but Raven stopped him.

"I'll go."

She flew out of the room and down the long hallway. She was almost scared to continue on, but she did. When she got to Cyborg's old room, she paused at the door. Not really sure what she was going to say to him, she phased into the room and decided to let the conversation come naturally. To her surprise (and slight relief) he wasn't in there. She wondered where he could have gone. He didn't really have ample amounts of time, so it's not like he could have gone to the roof or into the gym. He had to be in one of the bedrooms. Of course, part of her knew that he was in her old bedroom. Part of her knew that before she entered his old room. But maybe she was too scared to face him. The way he had acted when he saw her, was worst than she had imagined. He had actually walked out of the room when he found out it was really her.

Of course, she knew that he had every right to feel the way he felt and do the things he did. And maybe she didn't deserve his friendship, but she at least felt that she deserved the chance to explain everything. So, she phased through the wall, passed through Beast Boy's and Starfire's old rooms and landed in hers.

He was sitting on the bed, in the same place he had the last time she saw him there. She wanted to sit next to him, to have that same bond back, but she knew that she couldn't. Before she was able to speak, he stood up and started interrogating her.

"So, you think because you fooled Robin you can fool the rest of us? You think because the old leader of the Titans says you're someone, you're someone. It doesn't work that way. So, let me guess, is this another one of your schemes Jinx? Cause you've really improved the spell this time. No pink energy at all this time, and you got the look pretty much down."

"Cyborg, it's really me." She lifted some small trinket that she didn't even remember off of the dresser, purposefully using her black energy. Cyborg grabbed the item out of the air and that's when Raven realized that it was her modified communicator. The large yellow T was blacked out. It looked more like a compact mirror. It didn't even have an antenna.

"Cyborg, I'm sorry. I know that I hurt you when I left, but you have to understand that I didn't leave to hurt you! I left because I thought that it would be too hard to say goodbye in the morning. It was best for everyone in the end."

"How do you know what was best for everyone. Maybe it would have been best for everyone if Raven stayed with us. Maybe it would have been best for everyone if we knew where she had gone. Maybe it would have been best for everyone, if we knew that she was alive."

At this point she moved closer to him. She needed him to see that it was her. She knew that he knew it was, his machinery must have been telling him that much, but his human mind wouldn't let him believe it.

"She is alive! And she's right here in front of you. Please don't do this to me Cyborg. I know that I hurt you, and I'm sorry, but it hurt me too. And if you'll let me I'll tell you all about it sometime. But, for now, I need you to believe that I'm here, in front of you. Please, big bro?"

She didn't think she was going to be able to use his nickname tonight. She thought that there was going to have to be some time for them to reacquaint themselves to one another. But it came so easily to her and she thought that it was going to be the only way to get through to him. And apparently it was, because after a minute of silence, he hugged her.

"Welcome home lil' sis."

AN: I thought that this was only going to be 5 chapters but it looks like it's going to be longer, because there are a few more things that I need to get to before the story finishes up. It might take a little longer for the next chapter to come out (still unpacking some boxes and apparently I'm full time at my job now so….time is my enemy) but I hope that your patience will be well worth it. Thanks for all the great feedback! I hope you all enjoy this one and the ones to come.


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